Undercover
by criminalxxxmindsxxxfreak
Summary: An unsub is killing homosexual men in a small town, so Reid and Morgan agree to go undercover as a couple to help catch him. NOT SLASH! There will be violence in later chapters.
1. The New Case

**A/N: Alright, first off I have no idea why I wrote this. I was bored, my crazy, loveable cousin (who's nickname is Kevin, even tho she is a girl) was visiting and well... we started talking and since I'm fairly certain she's on crack, it's not really so surprising that I wrote this as a result. LOL. Anyway... **

**There probably won't be too much of the whole team, just Morgan and Reid. The team will make appearances, do the profile and everything they do to catch the killer, but a lot of this story will be from Morgan and Reid's POV just because it's mostly about them. This is NOT slash, just to get that clear. No offense to anyone who writes slash. I don't read too much of it normally, but I don't have a problem with it. I just don't write it. Morgan and Reid are just pretending to be gay in this story 'cause I thought it'd be funny... **

**WARNING: There will probably be violence in this story, guys holding hands and being perverted, some mild language and a homophobic, racist unsub. I really think it's soooo pointless to be a homophobe and/or a racist, so there is a good chance I will kill the unsub in this story... not sure yet.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Ch. 1: The New Case

The team sat in the conference room, staring at the photos that JJ had just displayed on the screen. The first was a picture of two men, bloody, beaten, stabbed and lying in crumpled, unnatural heaps in a chaotic apartment. The second and third were much the same. Each photo had one black man, one white man.

"We got a call this morning from the sheriff of Taylor, North Carolina. It's a fairly small town near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina… three inter-racial gay couples have been murdered in the past month." JJ explained, flipping through the photos with her small remote.

"The kills look angry," Reid noted, staring at the brutal scenes. "Our unsub probably has a problem with gay people…"

"Not just homosexuals though," Hotch pointed out, "The victims are inter-racial gay couples."

"So the unsub is a homophobe _and_ a racist," Morgan said, shaking his head.

"Looks like it," Prentiss said, "Mark Johnston, the first victim, was stabbed thirty-nine times."

"They definitely need our help," Hotch interjected, looking down at the file in his hands.

"But if this unsub is killing these men because they're inter-racial gay couples, then we could have a problem." Rossi pointed out slowly.

"And that would be?" Prentiss asked, frowning.

"Taylor is a small town… there probably aren't too many gay couples there… not to mention inter-racial gay couples. This unsub could move onto another city if there aren't any more victims that fit his MO. Or just start killing every homosexual man in town." Rossi explained, looking at Hotch meaningfully.

"That would be a problem," Hotch nodded slowly. He seemed to be the only one who immediately saw were Rossi was going with this.

"But if we were sure that there was another target…" Rossi glanced over at Morgan for a moment, "We might be able to catch this guy. And keep him in the town."

Hotch nodded, "It could help," He acknowledged.

"What could help?" Morgan demanded, not liking the look Rossi had given him. "Hotch?"

"We could give our unsub more victims." Hotch stated simply.

Morgan blinked, "You don't mean -"

"You could go undercover," Rossi said. "As a gay man…"

"But the unsub is killing couples," Prentiss pointed out, still frowning.

Rossi shot a pointed look at Reid who immediately understood and scowled, "No." he said. "There is no way that I'm -"

"Reid, it would keep the unsub in Taylor, and give us a good shot at catching this guy before he kills again." Hotch pointed out.

"C'mon, Hotch, really?" Morgan demanded. "You can't be serious. You want me to pretend to be Reid's boyfriend?"

"It would help us with this case, Morgan. You've done undercover work before." Hotch pointed out.

"Not as a gay guy!" Morgan protested.

"No one will know either of you there," Rossi pointed out, looking from Morgan to Reid. "This way we can be sure that the unsub will stay in Taylor."

Reid shook his obstinately, "No." he said. "I won't do it."

"Neither will I, Hotch." Morgan said. "We can profile this guy and catch him the way we always do."

"But he might not stay in the town. We could lose him if he decides to widen his killing range." Prentiss said.

Morgan and Reid sighed, hating that they were right. And completely unwilling to admit it. "But why does it have to be us?" Morgan demanded.

"Because you two could easily fit the victimology. He's killing inter-racial couples. You're black… Reid's white. And you're pretty close the same age. You two could pass for a couple." Rossi explained.

"Are you trying to say something?" Morgan frowned.

"Morgan, Reid," Hotch said, sighing. "This would really help the investigation. Rossi's right."

Morgan and Reid glanced at each other, frowning. They were right. They knew they were right. And how could they really argue with that? It was their job to catch killers and stop them from killing again. Sighing, Morgan nodded slowly, "Alright, alright fine. But I am _not _kissing him."

Reid scowled, "Who said I want you to kiss me?" he snapped.

"Neither of you have to do anything like that," Hotch interrupted. "You just have to go to the town, pretend to be a couple… go to movies and dinner together, simple things. We'll rent an apartment for you, and you can call us every night."

"It'll be like you're on vacation with your best friend," Rossi said, a small grin spreading across his face.

"You two can leave tonight… We'll wait a little longer before going to Taylor and leave first thing in the morning. That way not even the local detectives will see you two with us when we get off the jet." Hotch told them.

Morgan and Reid both sighed and glanced at each other warily. This was going to be interesting.


	2. Going Out To Dinner

**A/N: And onto chapter two... yay. This story is very strange, I have to say it. But thanks to everyone one who reviewed! :) Still not sure why I wrote this, but hey, boredom and a psychotic cousin have to count for something :)**

**WARNING: Except for two best friends being kind of perverted and going out to dinner together, nothing much. There will eventually be violence though...**

**Please review! :)**

Ch. 2: Going Out To Dinner

Morgan sighed, standing in Reid's bedroom, waiting for him to finish packing. "C'mon, man, you don't usually take this much stuff when we go on a case."

"Normally, we're not staying separate from the team, in an apartment that we need to appear to be living in either," Reid pointed out, tossing yet another button up shirt into his suitcase.

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Just hurry up, kid. We've got to get to the airport in an hour."

Reid sighed and nodded, "Fine, fine… Just give me a couple more minutes." He grabbed a few books from the shelf on his desk, his toothbrush and toothpaste and put them into the bag. "Ok, let's go."

"Finally," Morgan said, following Reid out to the car. His bag was sitting in the backseat. He'd only taken a little more than what he normally took; Reid however, had two suitcases and nearly three times as much as he normal carried with him on cases.

"Let's go humiliate ourselves," Morgan said, turning the key in the ignition.

* * *

The flight hadn't been as bad as they'd expected, but the cramped seats on the plane still made them miss the BAU jet. At least they would be returning home with the team. They'd rented an apartment right in the middle of the town.

Morgan dropped his bag and flipped the light on when they got there, looking around. "Not very big," he noted, seeing a small living room and kitchen area. "It's only got one bedroom." he muttered, walking into the room.

"With one bed." Reid added, looking very depressed at the thought.

"I am not sleeping in the same bed as you." Morgan said.

"Then sleep on the couch," Reid snapped, dropping his suitcases on the bed and beginning to unpack.

Morgan sighed and glanced back into the living room, at the couch. It didn't look very comfortable. "How about we alternate?" he asked. "You sleep on the bed one night, I sleep on the bed the next night."

"Fine." Reid nodded.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Morgan said, "Don't try to sneak any peaks, Pretty Boy." he teased, smiling.

"Ha ha." Reid muttered. "Like I'd want to look."

* * *

When Morgan got out of the shower he found Reid sitting on the couch watching a documentary on TV. "How can you watch those things, man?" he asked. "They're so boring."

"Actually, I find them very informative and enlightening." Reid said. "New scientific discoveries are made all the time, and sometimes I don't have time to read about them."

Morgan rolled his eyes, his stomach grumbling. "_You_ don't have time to read something?" he asked. "You read 20,000 words a minute."

"And have one of the busiest jobs in the country," Reid pointed out, drawing his legs up to his chest and turning the volume up.

Morgan flopped down next to him, "Point taken." After a few minutes his stomach growled again. "Man I'm starving." he muttered. "Go fix something, Reid."

Reid glared at him. "Even if I could cook, there isn't any food here. Besides, if you want me to fix anything to eat, it'll be cold cereal."

Morgan sighed. "There isn't any food here?" he moaned.

"No. We'll have to buy some."

"Damn… they better reimburse us for this." he muttered. "We'll have to go out to eat then."

"Go out?" Reid asked. "You mean… together?"

"Yeah, Reid, together." Morgan nodded with a sigh.

"B-but can't we just order a pizza or something?" he asked, not at all eager to go out in public and pretend to be Morgan's boyfriend.

"We could," Morgan nodded, "But we've got to go out there sometime. Might as well get it over with tonight."

* * *

They pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant in the SUV that the bureau had lent them. Reid fidgeted nervously, very uncomfortable with the entire idea. Morgan wasn't exactly thrilled about it either, but he decided to have as much fun with it as he could.

"C'mon, man calm down. You can't seriously be that worried about what other people think of you."

"I'm not worried about what other people think… I'm used to people assuming that I'm gay. It's just…" he trailed off, not really sure how to explain it. "I don't know. To actually pretend to be gay…"

Morgan smiled, "C'mon kid, we're doing this to catch a killer."

Reid sighed, "I know."

"We should probably call each other by our first names," Morgan added before opening the door and stepping onto the sidewalk.

"I guess." Reid acknowledged, following Morgan into the restaurant. Before they actually got inside, Morgan reached over and grabbed Reid's hand, lacing his fingers in the younger man's.

Reid looked at him surprised but sighed and didn't pull his hand away as they approached the hostess. She was a short woman with spiky blond hair and wide brown eyes. She smiled at them brightly, not even looking twice at the intertwined hands, "Table for two?" she asked cheerily.

"Could we get a booth?" Morgan asked, keeping his smile in place despite how very uncomfortable he was at the moment.

"Sure, right this way." The woman, whose name tag read "Teresa" led them to a small booth in the back of the restaurant. "Someone will be here to serve you in a few minutes." she said, handing them menus.

Reid slid into the booth next the window and Morgan slid in next to him, still holding his hand. "Thank you," he said kindly, taking the menus. Reid still hadn't spoken.

Morgan let go of his hand and opened the menu, "You've got to loosen up a little, Pretty Boy." Morgan told him a low voice. "We've got to be convincing, you know."

Reid sighed, "I know, I know." he said, pulling his hands above the table and resting his head in his palms. "Just give me a second."

A few minutes later the waiter, who introduced himself as Brian, walked up and asked if they were ready to order. "Just a couple more minutes," Morgan said, looking over the menu. "But I would like a Coke to drink… Spencer, what about you?"

It took Reid a minute to respond, "Coffee." he said.

"Would you like it black?" Brian asked.

"Yes, with two teaspoons of sugar." Reid answered.

Morgan almost bit back a laugh at the look on Reid's face when he teased, "Don't you mean two cups, sweetheart?"

He blinked for a second, then shook his head. "I told you before, _Derek_, that was only because I was tired that morning." then he grinned an evil grin and said, "Maybe you shouldn't have kept me up all night before."

Morgan had to choke back a laugh when he saw the look on the waiter's face. "Alright, one Coke, one coffee, black with two teaspoons of sugar." he said briskly. "I'll be back with that in a few minutes. Anything else?"

"Not right now," Morgan said, biting his lip to keep from grinning too much.

They watched as Brian hurried away. "Glad to see you're loosening up," Morgan said, grinning. "But was that really necessary?"

"Maybe not… but you didn't necessarily have to call me sweetheart, either." Reid said, a small smile playing on his lips. He shuddered slightly and wrapped his arms around himself. "I might not like this whole thing… but I guess, if we have to do this, we might as well have fun with it."

Morgan laughed as he shuddered again, "You alright?" he asked.

"Just cold. It's freezing in here." Reid explained, wrapping his arms tighter around himself.

"Well I told you to bring a jacket." Morgan said.

"It's eighty degrees outside, I didn't think I'd need one." Reid muttered.

Morgan sighed and shrugged his jacket off, "Here, take mine." He offered, holding the jacket to Reid.

Reid frowned, "I'm fine." he said, shaking his head.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy, we have to look like a couple," Morgan said in a quieter voice, pressing the jacket into Reid's hands.

Reid sighed and relented, taking the jacket and sliding in on. It was too big for him, but it was warm, which he hated to admit.

* * *

They were almost done with dinner when Morgan noticed that Reid's eyes were drooping. "Tired, Pretty Boy?" he teased, nudging his friend gently.

Reid's eyes snapped open, "No. I'm awake." he said tiredly. "I promise."

Morgan smiled and paid the bill, Reid's eyes slipping closed again. "C'mon, Spencer." he said, pulling him out of the booth gently. "We gotta go," He half carried the semi-conscious Reid to the SUV and drove back to the apartment.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Reid was out cold. Sighing, Morgan attempted to wake him, with no luck. So, he lifted the younger man in his arms and carried him into the apartment, lying him down on the bed easily before taking out his phone and calling Hotch.


	3. Shopping

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, commented, favorited and story alerted this :) I wasn't sure how well this story would do (or even if it was any good at all...)**

**WARNING: nothing much really... friends being annoying... there will eventually be violence in this story, you have been warned, and you will continue to be warned... You also get a peak into the mind of the unsub... yes, I still hate him with a firey passion.**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Ch. 3: Shopping

The team was in the conference room, preparing to leave for the night when Hotch's phone rang. "Hotchner," he answered without glancing at the caller ID.

"Hey, Hotch, it's Morgan." Morgan's voice came over the speaker.

"Hold on, let me put you on speaker," Hotch said, taking the phone away from his ear and hitting the speaker button. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Well, uh, thanks for just getting the one bedroom apartment," Morgan said sarcastically. "That was very helpful."

"We had to make it as real as possible, Morgan," Prentiss said with a grin. "What's wrong? You don't want to sleep with boy genius?"

"Ha ha," Morgan muttered. "You guys owe us big time for this."

"Anything happened yet?" Rossi asked, trying to get the call back on subject.

"No. Reid and I had to go out to eat, since there isn't any food here yet… I didn't notice anyone giving either of us any angry glares. No one said anything to us… the waiter at the restaurant seemed a little freaked out, but that's probably Reid's fault." Morgan said, thinking back.

"How?" Hotch asked, frowning.

"He uh… he made a sort of… suggestive comment." Morgan said shrugging. "I think he did it just to annoy me. It wasn't anything bad."

"Where is he?" Prentiss asked.

"Asleep." Morgan answered, glancing back toward the bedroom. "He was out before we even got back from the restaurant."

"Any luck with the profile?" Morgan asked, turning on the TV and settling down on the couch.

"So far we know he's probably watching theses men; he's a racist, and homophobic. He isn't likely quiet about that either, you'll probably meet him if he's still in the town. Probably within the ages of thirty to forty-five. We don't have much else," Hotch answered. "We're heading out tomorrow morning. We'll call you if anything new happens."

"Alright." Morgan nodded even though they couldn't see him. "We'll talk to you tomorrow then. I'm gonna get some sleep… hope this couch is more comfortable than it looks."

"Sleep tight," Prentiss teased before they hung up.

Morgan kicked off his shoes and pulled off his pants and shirt, leaving him standing in his boxers. He grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet in the bedroom and made a bed on the lumpy couch. He glanced enviously at Reid who was still passed out on the bed. He considered picking him up and dumping him on the couch for the night but decided to honor their bargain. He'd take the bed the next night.

* * *

He sat outside of the apartment complex with a scowl on his face. He'd seen the two men enter the restaurant holding hands, seen the older black man actually carry the younger, skinny man into their apartment after they'd gotten home. His lip curled up in disgust. He'd already gotten rid of so many of their kind… he thought bitterly. But there always seemed to be more.

He didn't even want to think about the sick, unnatural things that were going on in that one bedroom apartment they were in. He glanced down at the knife in the center console and ran his hand over it almost lovingly. He'd thought he'd have to start looking in other places to continue his mission… but as long as there were more of them in this city, _his_ city, he would make sure to wipe them out. Soon. His scowl turned into a grin as he turned the key in the ignition and drove off.

* * *

Reid woke up before Morgan the next morning and immediately started the shower. He felt more rested than he would've thought and he dreaded sleeping on the couch. He sighed as he let the water warm before stepping under the jets.

Morgan was awake, standing in the middle of the kitchen looking like he was deep in thought when Reid came out of the bathroom. "Finally." Morgan said, turning to face him. "Do you always take hour long showers?" he teased.

"I was not in the shower for an hour." Reid muttered. "It was only thirty minutes."

"Whatever you say, kid." Morgan grinned. Then his smile faded as his stomach growled. "We need to get some food." he said. "You ready to go shopping?"

Reid groaned, "Why can't you go by yourself?" he asked.

"Alright, fine. I'll go by myself to get the food. But you can't have any. You can get your own food." Morgan said, smiling devilishly as he grabbed the keys from the counter.

"Fine." Reid muttered. "I'll go. But before we go shopping, we need to get some coffee."

"There's a small shop not far from here. We can have breakfast there and then get food." Morgan said, already halfway to the door.

Reid sighed and followed him, still not happy about the whole idea.

* * *

They left the coffee shop, Reid happily clutching his cup in his hands and headed for the grocery store. "What are we getting?" Morgan asked as they parked outside.

Reid shrugged, "Milk, bread, cereal. Anything that can be put in a microwave." he said.

Morgan glanced at his young friend, "You really can't cook, can you?"

"I told you, Morgan, I don't exactly have a lot of time on my hands, and besides, it never seemed like a necessary skill to have."

"You have a bad incident with a stove when you were a kid?" Morgan teased.

Reid scowled, "Maybe." he muttered.

"Oh, you did?" Morgan's grin broadened as they entered the store. "What happened? You put your hand on a hot burner?"

Reid sighed, "No. I was ten… My mom had an episode in the middle of cooking dinner one night and almost set the house on fire. I sort of decided then that the microwave was easier and safer."

"Oh. Well, that's understandable. But… I think it's about time you learned how to cook with something other than a microwave. Tonight, you're going to learn how to use the stove one way or another." Morgan said as they walked down the refrigerated section and grabbed a gallon of milk.

"C'mon, Morgan -"

Morgan held his hand up to stop him, and said, "First name, remember? We're in public." in a low voice.

Reid sighed, "Derek," he said, his eyes narrow, "I don't _need _to learn how to cook."

"I disagree. The fact that you don't know how to cook is probably why you're so skinny." Morgan teased.

Reid rolled his eyes, "No, that's because I have a fast metabolism and forget to eat sometimes." he said, walking down another aisle and picking a loaf of bread off the shelf.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy, you can't be that scared of the stove can you?" Morgan teased taking the bread from his hands and putting it in the cart.

"I never said I was scared of the stove." Reid snapped. "I said I didn't think it was safe… microwaves are safe."

"Obviously you've never accidentally put tinfoil in the microwave." Morgan said. "Because trust me, microwaves have been known to explode."

"Why would I put tinfoil in the microwave?" Reid demanded.

"Because you were distracted." Morgan shrugged, "Just let it go, Spencer. I'm teaching you how to cook tonight and that's all there is to it."

Reid scowled, following Morgan as they finished grabbing things to eat. Morgan realized that Reid had a serious sweet tooth and wasn't much into healthy food. "No wonder you talk so fast," Morgan said with a raised brow, "You eat about ten times more sugar than the normal human being does."

"No I don't." Reid muttered, putting a box of Frosted Flakes in the cart, "On average, Americans consume -"

"Spare me the statistics, okay Pretty Boy? I don't need to know." Morgan said, shaking his head. "Are we ready to go yet?" he asked, looking down at the nearly full cart.

"I guess. We've got bread, milk, cereal, frozen dinners… enough for about a week." Reid said, looking over everything they'd tossed into the cart.

"Good. I'm already tired of this. Let's go."

* * *

The first thing they did after unloading all of the groceries was start a pot of coffee. Then they settled on the couch and argued for five minutes about what they were going to watch. Morgan finally won the argument when he pointed out that Reid had watched that documentary the night before and turned on Family Guy.

Reid groaned and leaned his head against the couch muttering something about mindless cartoons and Morgan laughed, turning the volume up as loud as it would go. After about fifteen minutes, Reid grabbed one the books he'd brought and started reading, trying to ignore the TV and Morgan laughing every few minutes.


	4. Cooking With Morgan

**A/N: Thanks soooooooo much for all the wonderful reviews! :) You people make me happy! XD**

**WARNING: Again, nothing much. There will eventually be violence... Morgan's teaching Reid how to cook. This should be interesting. ... And we hear from the team while they're working on the profile. Not too much, but I already warned you they won't be in this story a lot.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I'll give you chocolate chip cookies! (made by my grandma, not me, since I can't cook anything more complicated than frozen pizza or grilled cheeses...)**

Ch. 4: Cooking With Morgan

Detective Frost met the team outside of the station when they arrived. "Hi, Detective Frost, I'm Agent Jareau, we spoke on the phone." JJ greeted him.

He nodded, smiling, "Yes, and this must be the rest of your team. I thought there'd be more of you…" he mused.

"Well, two of our agents are, uh, working on something else." JJ explained slowly. "And these are, SSAs Hotchner, Rossi and Prentiss." She nodded toward them each as she said their names.

Detective Frost nodded, "Alright then, right this way. I've got a place set up for you. It's not very big, small town, you know… but there's an evidence board, a phone, a computer and a table."

They followed the detective into the small station and to a conference room. He hadn't been kidding. The room was tiny, which made them almost grateful that both Morgan and Reid weren't there with them; it gave them more room to move around.

The evidence board had crime scene photos and family statements tacked up in chronological order. "Alright, let's see what we've got." Hotch said, standing at the head of the table next to the board.

"It's pretty obvious the unsub has an issue with homosexuals, and is racist." Rossi reiterated the information that they'd originally come up with back in Quantico.

"And he's probably around the same age as the victims, somewhere between thirty and forty-five." Prentiss added. "If he's watching these men he has a car, big enough to watch without being seen, but not so big that he's noticed."

Hotch nodded, "And we know he's most likely local and probably doesn't hide his hatred very well."

"He's probably violent," Ross noted. "He might've had fights with homosexuals or African Americans in town."

Hotch nodded, "Prentiss, call Garcia, tell her to search for anyone in town who's had a history of fights and violence between either homosexuals or African Americans." he ordered, frowning down at the files on the table.

Prentiss nodded, pulling out her cell phone. "Goddess of infinite knowledge," Garcia answered brightly. "How may I assist you this fine day, mortal?"

Prentiss grinned, "Hey, Garcia it's Prentiss. I need you to look for anyone in town who has a history of violence towards homosexuals or African Americans."

"I am on it," Garcia promised. "Any word on how my boys are handling being a couple?"

"We talked to them last night," Prentiss told her. "Well, we talked to Morgan. Reid was already sleeping. But they seemed alright… Morgan wasn't too happy about the one bedroom. He'll get over it. It's for the job, right?" she grinned.

Garcia laughed on the other end of the phone, "Right. But somehow, I don't see you doing anything like this 'for the job'."

Prentiss's grin widened, "Well of course not," she said. "That's sex discrimination."

* * *

"Hey, Reid, get in here!" Morgan called from the kitchen. "I told you you're going to have to learn how to cook!"

Reid sighed from the couch in the living room and ignored him. After a few minutes, Morgan came into the living room frowning at the younger man on the couch. "I know you heard me, man. Get in here. You are going to learn how to cook if it kills you."

"I bet you'd feel bad if it actually killed me," Reid mumbled, pushing himself off the couch and following Morgan into the kitchen.

He had a bowl sitting on the counter next to a carton of eggs, flour and various other ingredients. "What exactly are you making?" Reid asked, eyeing the items warily.

"A cake," Morgan said, grinning. "Since you refused to come in here earlier and help me with the steaks."

"A cake? Is that really necessary?" Reid asked.

"Yes." Morgan said. "It's a recipe my mom used to make for me and my sisters on our birthday. It's not difficult. Someone with a brain as big as yours should be able to handle baking a cake."

Reid sighed and listened to Morgan's instructions as they started to mix ingredients. When he began mixing the batter his elbow hit the container holding the flour and he accidentally spilled flour all over the floor and Morgan's jeans. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, looking very embarrassed.

Morgan just grinned, "You're very clumsy for a genius, you know that?" he teased, taking a handful of flour from the bowl and dumping it on Reid's head.

Reid blinked and coughed, "Morgan!" he yelled. Scrubbing flour out of his eyes, he took a handful of flour and tossed it at Morgan. Most of it missed, but some of it landed on the shoulder of his t-shirt.

Morgan swatted as much of the flour as he could away and retaliated with another handful which spattered across Reid's shirt. Reid scowled and began to pat the flour away when there was a knock on the door.

"You answer it, Pretty Boy." Morgan said, still trying to get flour off of his shirt. "I'll clean this mess up and put the cake in the oven."

Reid scowled, shaking as much of the flour as he could from his hair and walking to the front door. He opened it and was faced with a couple in their early thirties. The woman had her brown hair tied back in a pony tale and the man's blond hair was hanging in his friendly face.

"Hi," the woman said. "I'm Melissa Peterman, and this is my husband Jonathan, Jon, we heard you moved in last night." she smiled, holding out a small covered dish. "We thought we'd bring you some home warming presents, if that's alright?"

Reid smiled at the woman, shaking her hand with the hand that wasn't covered in flour, "Thank you," he said gratefully. "I'm uh, Spencer." he said. "Spencer Reid…" before he could say anything else Morgan came around the corner, most of the flour off of his clothes.

"Who's at the door?" he asked, coming up behind Reid.

"Oh, um, hi." Melissa looked slightly surprised to see Morgan, but she still grinned. "I'm Melissa, this is my husband Jon. We live a few doors down… we just thought we'd come by and give you some house warming presents. See how you're settling in."

Morgan grinned and wrapped an arm around Reid's waist from behind, startling the younger man, who had to really fight to keep his face composed. "I'm Derek Morgan," Morgan said.

Jon blinked when Morgan's arm went around Reid's waist, but he didn't say anything. "Would you like to come in?" Morgan asked, smiling easily. Reid couldn't help but wonder how Morgan could be so calm and how the hell he could even consider inviting them inside.

Melissa grinned, "If you don't mind," she said, not seeming the least bit phased by the two men in front of her.

Morgan slid his arm from around Reid's waist and they moved back a bit to let the couple inside. "We brought you a casserole," Melissa said, holding out the dish.

Morgan smiled and took it from her, "Thank you," he said. "We were just about to eat dinner… do you want to join us? We have plenty." he added. He'd cooked more than enough steaks earlier so they'd have something left to re-heat the next day.

Melissa glanced at Jon for a second before nodding, "That's very kind of you," she said brightly. She seemed like a nice enough woman.

"So what brings you to Taylor?" Jon asked, looking around the living room as Morgan led them into the kitchen.

"Trying to get away from the city," Morgan explained easily. "I'm from Chicago, Spencer's from Las Vegas."

Melissa's eyes widened, "Vegas?" she asked interestedly. "I've always wanted to go there."

Reid smiled nervously, "I uh, grew up there." he explained.

"It must've been so interesting living there." Melissa said.

He shrugged, "I guess. I uh… I went to college when I was thirteen though so…"

"Thirteen?" Jon interrupted, "Isn't that a little young for college?"

"I graduated high school when I was twelve." Reid answered quickly, looking down then.

"Really?" Melissa's eyes widened.

"Spencer's a genius," Morgan said with a grin. "He's got an IQ of 187."

"Wow." Melissa shook her head in amazement.

Morgan winked at Reid who shot a poisonis look in his direction, and sat the casserole down on the counter next to the steaks.

"What's in the oven?" Melissa asked, nodding toward the appliance.

"A cake. I was trying to teach Spencer how to cook… he's not very good at it, which is why we're covered in flour." Morgan said, grinning at him.

Reid scowled, "Actually, we're covered in flour because Derek is a jerk and dumped it on my head." he snapped.

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Sure," he said, "Blame me for your clumsiness."

Reid narrowed his eyes, "_My_ clumsiness?" he snapped. "How is it my fault you dumped flour on me?"

Morgan just laughed and took the cover off of the casserole. "Are y'all ready to eat?" he asked the couple.

Melissa and Jon seemed to be fighting back laughs as they listened to the two men arguing. "Sure," Jon answered, a smile twitching on his lips. It was obvious to Reid and Morgan that they, at least, didn't have a problem with homosexuals. They wondered how many people in the small town would share that view point…


	5. Dinner Guests

**A/N: You peoples are amazing! Thanks to each and every one of you who reviewed and commented! :) :)**

**WARNING: Again, there will eventually be violence. In this chapter...? hmm... Uncomfortable questions, and Morgan and Reid being immature...**

**PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! :) :)**

Ch. 5: Dinner Guests

He sat outside the apartment building, scowling. The knife was clutched tightly in his hands. He'd planned on getting rid of them tonight, but the neighbors had decided to drop by. He'd have to wait. He hated waiting. His knuckles whitened on the hilt of the blade.

How could they go into that apartment and talk to them like they were actually people? He wondered angrily. How could they smile and laugh with them as if there was nothing wrong? His eyes narrowed as he glared at the apartment window.

He briefly considered just waiting out the neighbors and going in after they'd left, but it would be late by then. He had to get to work. Sighing and throwing one more angry look at the apartment, he turned the key and drove off. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.

* * *

There wasn't much room at the small table in the apartment, but they managed to make it work. "So what do you two do for a living?" Melissa asked, cutting into her steak.

Morgan and Reid glanced at each other for a moment before Morgan answered, "I was a cop in Chicago, but uh, I'm working as a PI right now…" he said slowly. "And, uh, Spencer is going to school to get another BA… in Philosophy, right?" he looked to Reid for a second.

Reid nodded, "Yeah," he said.

"Philosophy?" Melissa asked. "That sounds interesting."

"It is," Reid said, his eyes lighting the way they did whenever he was about to start rambling pretty much incoherently. "It's fascinating. I like it because there aren't any right or wrong answers, you know? It's like -"

"Spencer," Morgan interrupted him quickly, "Slow down. They don't really need to know everything there is to know about Philosophy in one night."

Reid frowned and nodded slowly, "Sorry… I tend to, uh, ramble sometimes." he said.

"Don't worry about it," Melissa said with a quick smile. "I do that sometimes too… drives Jon crazy."

Jon laughed and took her hand, "No, I think it's cute." he assured her. "A little annoying…"

She narrowed her eyes and slapped her husband playfully on the shoulder. He laughed and bent forward, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"How long have you two been married?" Morgan asked, taking another bite of his steak.

"It'll be a year next month," Melissa answered, her eyes getting starry as she smiled up at her husband. "What about you two? How long have you been together?"

Morgan and Reid locked eyes for a second, "We met a few years ago…" Morgan answered slowly. "It's actually been about six years,"

"Six years?" Jon asked, blinking in surprise. Before he'd met Melissa, he couldn't even imagine being with the same woman for one year, let alone six…

"Have you two been living together the entire time?" Melissa asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"No," Morgan answered. "We've only been living together for about three years…"

Reid couldn't help but smile at how easily Morgan seemed to lie to these two. And yet, he wasn't exactly lying. They'd been working together for years, been friends for years. Living together… three years ago Morgan had stayed with Reid while he was recuperating from an injury at work.

"Any plans for having children?" Melissa asked, her eyes wide with interest.

Morgan and Reid almost choked. "No." they said at the same time. "We uh, haven't really ever talked about that." Reid answered, looking at Morgan with wide eyes.

"It's doubtful though…" Morgan said quickly. "We're both so busy usually. What about you two?"

Melissa smiled up at Jon again, "We've been trying for a few months, and next week I have a doctor's appointment to see if I am. We're hopeful." she grinned.

"Congratulations then," Morgan said with a wide smile, his eyes sparkling.

* * *

It was nearly ten o'clock when the Petermans finally left, Melissa making them promise to come by their apartment around lunch time the next day. When they were finally alone again, Reid flopped down on the couch and glared at Morgan for a second.

"They were nice enough," Morgan noted, sitting down next to his friend.

"Sure," Reid said slowly… "But did you really have to invite them in? This is pretty much the only place where we aren't pretending to be a couple, you know."

"I know," Morgan said, smiling, "But what kind of neighbor would I be if I'd ignored them. Besides, we should probably get to know people around here, kid. We could run into the unsub at any time."

Reid sighed, nodding. "Fine." he muttered, turning on the TV.

"And, after we stop by for lunch tomorrow, I think we should go out for dinner again. Or a movie. We've got to get out there and make sure that the unsub realizes that we're here."

Reid sighed again and nodded, not saying anything.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy, I thought you were going to have fun with this, remember?" Morgan teased, nudging him in the arm.

"Yeah, I know. But… I think I'm still a little freaked out about Melissa asking if we were going to have kids." Reid said with a sigh. "It's a very disturbing thought…"

Morgan grinned, "C'mon, man, you know that's not even kind of a possibility." he said, snatching the remote from Reid before he even realized it.

"Hey!" Reid snapped, making a grab for the remote. Morgan jumped from the couch and held the remote over his head, laughing.

"Jump for it Pretty Boy," he teased, as Reid made another pathetic lunge for the remote. "C'mon, you're tall enough…"

Reid scowled, his long fingers grasping at air as Morgan took another step back and waved the remote above his head. "Give it back!" Reid snapped, "C'mon, it's my turn to watch something!"

Morgan's phone started buzzing and he pulled it out, turning it on speaker and sitting it on the coffee table, Reid behind him still trying to snatch back the controller. "Hey, Hotch," Morgan said from across the room, still dancing around, holding the remote out of Reid's reach.

"How's everything going there?" Hotch's voice came from the speaker.

"Great." Morgan said with a grin, laughing when Reid almost tripped over a pillow in the middle of the floor. "We had a couple of neighbors over here earlier. Nice people. Haven't had any problems yet."

"Where's Reid?" Prentiss asked.

"I'm right here." Reid said, gasping as he straightened himself up and made another grab for the remote, missing again.

"You sound out of breath." Rossi teased, "What exactly are you two doing?"

"Watching TV." Morgan answered.

"Planning on killing Morgan in his sleep," Reid answered, practically jumping on Morgan, knocking them both to the floor.

"Ow!" Morgan cried, trying to push Reid off of him. "Get off!" he winced as one of Reid's bony knees collided with his stomach.

"Give it back and I will." Reid demanded, still trying to snatch the remote from Morgan's clenched hands.

"Get your knee out of my stomach and I might." Morgan growled, trying to sit up. Reid wouldn't let him, he shoved his friend back down onto the floor and struggled to yank the remote from his fist.

"What's going on?" Hotch demanded, sounding concerned. They could hear Rossi, JJ and Prentiss trying not to laugh in the background.

"Nothing." they said at the same time. Morgan tossed the remote above their heads and it landed across the room on the couch. Before Reid could react, Morgan shoved himself up and pushed Reid down onto the floor, holding him there.

"Don't ever do that again." Morgan said with a wide grin on his face.

Reid glared at him, kicking his legs out and hitting Morgan in the stomach. As he let go and doubled over in pain, Reid jumped up and grabbed the remote, ducking as Morgan launched a pillow at him.

"What the hell is going on?" Hotch demanded again, sounding angry this time.

"Reid's trying to kill me!" Morgan said, still holding his side where Reid had kicked him.

"What!" Reid demanded, "I am not! I was defending myself. Morgan started it anyway."

"Started what?" JJ asked, frowning.

"Hey, who kicked who in the stomach?" Morgan demanded, pushing himself onto the couch and collapsing next to Reid.

"What are you two talking about?" Prentiss asked, sounding very confused.

"Morgan took the remote," Reid began.

"And Reid attacked me." Morgan finished, smiling.

"Did not." Reid muttered, changing the channel on the television.

"Maybe sending those two undercover together wasn't such a great idea," Rossi said, laughing. "They might kill each other before the unsub even realizes they're there."

"No," Prentiss disagreed, "This is good for them… a learning experience."

"Ha ha." Morgan snapped, "You're hilarious."

"I've been told that a few times," Prentiss grinned on the other end of the phone.

"Anything new happened with the case?" Reid asked.

"Garcia just sent us a list of fifteen men in town who have a history of violence towards homosexuals and African Americans. We should be able to narrow it down pretty quickly." Prentiss answered.

"You guys might not have to be undercover for too much longer." Rossi said. "It's a good thing this unsub probably doesn't hide his hated."

"Yeah, it's great." Morgan muttered.

"We'll talk to you tomorrow night unless something changes," Hotch promised. "Get some rest."

"Alright, good night guys," Morgan said.

"G'night," Reid said as they hung up.

"Well, that sounded good." Morgan said hopefully. "We might be out of here in just a day or two."

"Thank God," Reid muttered, leaning his head against the couch. "It's only been two days and I'm already tired of this."


	6. Fight In The Parking Lot

**A/N: woo-hoo, double update! :) I wasn't sure if I was going to post this chapter today or not... You can thank SlasherrGirl for that... u are aware that blackmail is illegal, right? JK **

**Okay, first, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and commented :) I luvz you peoplez! :) And guess what? There is, believe it or not, a case involved in this story, despite the fact that I didn't write too much of the whole profiling thing... And this chapter is where the happy, not so scary world of Morgan and Reid undercover and the horrible, disturbing world of a sick, evil killer begin to merge into one... Yes, I am fully aware of the fact that I am totally evil.**

**WARNING: This chapter is where things get shaky... violence, swearing... my lack of sanity makes itself known**

**PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Ch. 6: Fight In The Parking Lot

Reid woke up the next morning groggily, his back aching. There was absolutely not comfort on the hard couch. "Hey, sleepy head." Morgan grinned at him, walking in from the kitchen. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. It's almost nine."

Reid sleepily rubbed his eyes and sat up, "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked.

"'Cause you looked like a little kid when you were asleep and I couldn't just wake you up." Morgan teased, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," Reid said as he took it and took a long swallow. "Anything new happened with the case?" he asked after a minute.

"No. Haven't heard from Hotch since last night." Morgan said, "But we do need to get ready to go to Melissa and Jon's for lunch at one." he said.

Reid sighed, "I almost forgot…" he muttered. "Can't we just not show up?"

"Now what kind of neighbors would be if we did that?" Morgan asked with a smile.

"The kind who are actually undercover FBI agents who are only pretending to a couple and who don't really want to be doing this." Reid answered, tossing the blanket off of him and stumbling into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Maybe… but we have to be out there to be noticed by the unsub, Reid. I told you that last night," Morgan called after him.

* * *

Lunch wasn't nearly as bad as Reid had anticipated. Melissa and Jon were very accepting people, and Melissa was an amazing cook. It was after lunch that wasn't so great. They decided to go out for dinner again that night at the same restaurant they'd gone to their first night there.

They saw the team driving away in an SUV as they arrived and had to fight back the urge to wave at them. Teresa was the hostess again. She smiled as they entered, "Good to see you again," she said brightly.

There were more people than there had been before, "Right this way," she led them back to a booth near the one they sat at the night before. "A waiter will be by to serve you in a moment," she said handing them menus and hurrying away.

Reid glanced around, feeling eyes on them as they sat down. He wasn't sure if they were merely curious, or if the eyes had some kind of malice in them; he just knew that someone was watching them. "You alright, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, looking at Reid frowning.

"I'm fine," he answered, "It's just… feels like someone's watching us."

Morgan smiled, "That's what we want, remember?" he whispered, leaning his head close to Reid's to avoid being heard. Reid nodded slowly sat up, "Yeah, I know." he said, looking over the menu in front of him while they waited for the waiter.

Their waiter was a young boy, probably no older than eighteen, who said his name was Andrew. He didn't look particularly thrilled to be working there, but they suspected he probably always looked like that. They ordered their meals and casually tried to look around the restaurant, hoping to spot anyone sending them angry glares.

But nothing happened. Then. It wasn't until they left the building… A tall, muscular man was leaning up against the building as they exited, glaring at them. He followed closely behind them as they headed for the SUV and grabbed Reid's arm, swinging him around and slamming him into the side of the car before either Morgan or Reid realized what was happening.

"Freakin' queer," the man sneered, his lips curling up angrily. "What do you think you're doing in _my _town?"

Reid stammered and tried to push the man away from him, glancing desperately at Morgan when he felt a fist make contact with the side of jaw. "Get off him!" Morgan growled, grabbing the man by the shoulder and slamming a fist into his stomach.

Reid massaged his jaw painfully and watched while Morgan and the man fought, Morgan punching him again, this time just under the ribs. The man doubled over and coughed, trying desperately to catch his breath.

Morgan stood protectively in front of Reid as the man straightened up and glared at them, "If you two know what's good for you, you'll get out now." the man spat, "Fags like you have been having a bad habit of dyin' lately." He turned and ran off, glancing back at them venomously before getting in his car and leaving.

"You alright?" Morgan asked as soon as he was gone.

Reid nodded slowly, "Yeah. I'm fine." he said slowly, putting pressure against his jaw, glad to note that nothing was broken or bleeding. "Did you get his license plate?"

Morgan nodded, pulling his phone out, "Yeah, I'm gonna call Hotch." he said, still glaring in the direction that the man had driven. He had an urge to chase after him and continue the beating, but he knew that was stupid and risky.

"Hotchner," Hotch answered, sounding distracted.

"Hey, Hotch, it's Morgan. We just had a little, uh, trouble outside of that restaurant you were at earlier."

"Trouble how?" Hotch asked, putting the phone on speaker so that Prentiss, JJ and Rossi could hear.

"A man attacked us, well, Reid, when we got outside. We're fine but… he said he wanted us out of town and basically said that if we didn't get out, we'd die, because that had been happening a lot lately."

"Sounds like he could be our unsub," Rossi said, leaning forward over the table.

"I got a license plate," Morgan said, quickly reciting the number. "Run it and see what you get."

"We'll call Garcia and get an address on him, don't worry. And you two watch your backs." Hotch warned. "I don't want either of you to get hurt again."

"Trust me, Hotch, we'll be careful." Morgan promised, hanging up.

"Alright, they're gonna run the plate and get an address on the guy. Right now, I think it'd be best if we just went back the apartment and calmed down."

Reid nodded, still slightly in shock and got into the car, Morgan moments behind him.

* * *

He'd watched as Henry, a local hardware store owner, attacked the skinnier man and almost laughed. Henry was probably drunk, he always got violent when he was drunk. But he was mostly all talk. Which was probably why he'd gone after the smaller man, and not the far more imposing black man.

He saw how extremely protective the man was of his _partner_ and almost threw up. But was again tempted the laugh as the man threw several painful punches into Henry's abdomen and sent the older man running away with vague threats like the coward he truly was.

He was the only one man enough to take care of their kind. And he was going to do just that tonight. He watch the black man pull out a cell phone and make a call, probably to the police… He briefly considered moving his plans to the next night, but shook his head. Tonight was the night.

He saw them drive away in their SUV and a smile twisted his lips. He pulled out of the parking lot slowly and followed far behind them, glancing down at the knife in the console every few minutes. Anticipation was flooding his veins like never before. Tonight there would be two less of them in his city. He couldn't wait until they were all gone…


	7. Attack

**A/N: Again, thank you peoplez for all the wonderful reviews, favorites and story alert adds :) :) :) *the adress Garcia gives them is totally fake, since, you know, the town they're in, I made up...**

**also, I'm a terrible person... no, i changed my mind, i'm a psychotic person... darn it, what is WRONG with me? this could've been a funny, sweet story about Reid and Morgan bonding and being bestest friends/brothers and I went did THIS... **

**WARNING: some more bad language and violence... it seems like I keep hurting Reid...**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Ch. 7: Attack

"That car is owned by a local hardware store owner named Henry Kyle. He's been in four 'altercations' with men who were openly homosexual in the past year." Garcia said, her fingers flying across her keyboard. "He lives about two miles from the station… 24 North East, 33rd ST." she said, smiling.

"Thanks, Garcia," Prentiss said, smiling. "We've got an address." she told Hotch and Rossi.

Hotch nodded, already donning his flak jacket, "Let's go."

* * *

Morgan leaned against the door as he and Reid got back to the apartment. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. "You sure you're ok?" he asked, noticing Reid still rubbing his hand against his jaw.

"I'm fine Morgan," Reid assured him. "My jaw's a little sore, but I've had worse."

"I hope this guy is our unsub," Morgan muttered, falling down onto the couch. "I'm so ready to be out of here."

"You and me both." Reid sighed. "I actually miss carrying my gun with me all the time…"

Morgan grinned, "Me too." he said, "I feel naked without it."

They turned the TV on, neither one of them really watching what was on the screen. Their guns were far out of reach in a drawer next to the bed. They didn't hear the odd scratching noises at the door as a man determined to kill them began picking the lock.

* * *

Hotch motioned for Prentiss to move to the other side of the door, JJ, Rossi and three local officers stood behind them. The car was in the driveway, the lights were on and they could hear the television on as they leaned closer to wooden frame.

The agents locked eyes for a moment and with a monumental heave, Hotch backed a few steps away and knocked the door from it's hinges. He hadn't done anything like that in years. Already his shoulder ached.

An obviously drunk man jumped at the sound of the doorframe splintering and dropped the beer that had been in his hands. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, his words slurred.

"FBI," Hotch informed him. "Keep your hands where I can see them." He quickly informed the man of his rights while Prentiss pulled him to his feet.

"Murder?" he looked stunned when Hotch told him the charges. "I never killed anyone." he said. "Fights, sure… but murder?"

Hotch looked the man in eyes, having a hard time believing that the man in front of him was the unsub. "We have a warrant to search your house. At the very least your under arrest for assaulting a federal agent." he informed him.

"A federal what?" Henry blinked, his alcohol buzzed brain still trying to wrap around the idea of murder charges. "I never -"

"Less than half an hour ago you attacked two men outside of a restaurant in town." Rossi said.

"Those queers?" the man asked, frowning. "Sure, I hit one of them. But the other one attacked me. I didn't kill them if that's what you're telling me."

"We know you didn't kill them," Prentiss said, pushing the man toward the door, "Those 'queers' are federal agents."

He turned his head back to look at the woman who was now pushing him into the back of a squad car, "What?" he asked, "You mean they were FBI?" he asked.

She ignored him and slammed the door in his face, turning back to face her supervisor, "I don't think he's the unsub," she said. "He's completely wasted, and the look on his face when we said he was under arrest for murder…" she shook her head.

"I know." Hotch said. "But it's still a possibility. You, JJ and Rossi stay here and search the house. I'm gonna head back to the station to help Detective Frost with the interrogation."

* * *

His grin widened as the lock clicked and the door slid open without making a sound. Through a small entryway he could see the two of them sitting on the couch watch TV. Neither on of them seemed too interested in what they were seeing though. He crept up behind them, his footsteps muffled by the sound of the TV.

Just as the older man heard the floor moan under his feet, he was at the back of the couch, his knife in his hands. Before he could react, he'd place the knife at the skinnier one's throat, and grinned menacingly. "Derek, isn't it?" he asked the black man. "Don't move or I'll slit Spencer's throat."

* * *

Morgan was frozen in his seat, his eyes wide with fear. Obviously, the man from the restaurant wasn't their unsub. No, this man, the one with the knife to Reid's throat, was definitely their guy. "Don't move or I'll slit Spencer's throat," the man hissed, pressing the knife closer to his friend's neck.

He saw the horrified look in Reid's eyes and knew he couldn't move. He wasn't about to do anything that would get Reid killed. "Alright," he said slowly, staring the man in the eyes. "Alright." he repeated. "Don't hurt him," he was fighting the urge to lash out at the man. Right now that wouldn't do him or Reid any good.

"Just leave him alone, ok?" he continued. "Kill me if you want to, but leave Spencer out of this."

The man laughed, actually laughed, and shook his head at Morgan. "He's just as bad as you are. All of you, disgusting, filthy freaks." the man sneered. "You all deserve to die. But keep asking me not to hurt him," he grinned again. "It makes this so much more fun."

Morgan's fist tightened. Not only was the bastard a racist, homophobic asshole, now he was also a sadist? This was not good.

The knife was slowly moved from Reid's throat down to his chest and almost gently, the unsub pressed the knife against his shoulder before ramming it in, a look of absolute euphoria in his eyes.

Reid's scream was like a dagger to Morgan's heart. "Please, man, just let him go. He's just a kid."

Reid gritted his teeth and shook his head, "Morgan, stop. You and I both know he isn't going to listen."

Morgan stared at Reid for a moment, knowing he was right. But what else could he do? He knew if he even acted like he was about to make a move, Reid was dead. Talking down the unsub might be an impossibility, but right now that was all he really had to do.

"Maybe you should listen to your boyfriend," the man grinned, ripping the knife out of Reid's shoulder and ramming it back in again. He bit his lip to keep from screaming a second time but his grunt of pain was enough to send Morgan over the edge. With the knife still lodged in Reid's arm, Morgan suddenly jumped from the couch and launched himself at their attacker.


	8. The Wrong Guy

**A/N: Woo-hoo! Chapter 8! Almost finished... thanks again for all the reviews! :)**

**WARNING: Much more violence, sorry people... I'm evil... a little bit of swearing, I think...**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :) I'll buy you a car... A Porche 911 Turbo in canary yellow just like Alice had... lol... if only...**

Ch. 8: The Wrong Guy

JJ sighed and leaned against the counter top in the kitchen. "This guy only has one knife," she said, "And it's too small to be the murder weapon."

"We haven't found anything here tying him to any of the other murders either," Prentiss said, looking around the dingy space sadly. "Our unsub is still out there."

Rossi came into the kitchen, gloved hand holding a trash bag half full of crushed beer cans, "How much you want to bet these are more the reason for him attacking Morgan and Reid than his hatred of gay men?"

The girls sighed, "We should call Hotch," JJ said, "And tell him we've got the wrong guy."

"He's not going to be happy about that," Prentiss sighed, pulling her cell phone out.

* * *

Hotch stood outside the interrogation room, staring at the drunken man inside. He wasn't smart enough, calculated enough, to be the unsub. He was sure that they had the wrong man. He knew it was the others calling him to tell him just that when his phone started buzzing.

"Hotchner," he answered.

"Hey, Hotch it's Prentiss. There's absolutely nothing here tying him to any of the murders. I don't think he's our guy."

"Neither do I," Hotch agreed, glancing back at Henry. "But let's keep him here for a little while. Maybe it'll make our unsub think he's safe. Besides, with a small town like this, he might even know our unsub."

Prentiss nodded on the other end of the phone. "Alright. Do you want us to call Reid and Morgan and tell them he's not our guy."

"Yeah," Hotch responded, "They'll have to stay undercover for another night."

* * *

Reid fell forward and hit his head on the coffee table as Morgan lunged at the man and knocked him down. The knife was still painfully embedded into his shoulder, but he didn't want to pull it out and risk passing out from massive blood loss.

He watched Morgan slam his fist into their attacker's face, but the man was well muscled and easily fought back. Reid got his fist good look at the man and realized he was actually bigger than Morgan was. That was worrying. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his vision already getting fuzzy.

The only thing he could think was that he had to get to the guns. If he could manage to get into the bedroom and get his gun out of the drawer, he could probably end this. But his arm hurt so bad, and his could barely see straight let alone stand.

Glancing back at Morgan and the man fighting on the floor, he swallowed hard and began to half stumble, half crawl his way to bedroom. He felt sick, and his head was spinning, but it looked like Morgan might lose this fight so he had to get to the guns. It was their only hope.

* * *

Morgan grunted as the unsub landed a kick just under his ribcage, knocking the breath and fight out him. As he doubled over, trying desperately to straighten back up, he felt another kick slam him down onto his back and then another knocked his head to the side.

He coughed, blood pouring from his mouth. The man stood over him and wiped blood from his face as he spat at the ground. "Filthy queer," he snapped. He turned, looking for Reid and then scowled when he didn't see him.

Morgan considered telling the man that they weren't gay, but he was certain that he wouldn't believe them. He'd seen them out together, and was convinced that they were gay. He would only view them telling him that they weren't gay as an attempt to save their lives.

He heard the unsub move away from him and forced himself up despite his spinning, aching head. He realized immediately that Reid wasn't in the room anymore. Where was he? Feeling panicked, Morgan almost jumped to his feet, then nearly fell back down as the world around him spun crazily. He heard a scream but he couldn't tell if it was Reid or the unsub. It came from the bedroom.

* * *

Reid had almost made it to the drawer, his vision clearing just a little as he used the end of the bed for support. He became aware of a high buzzing noise. It took him a minute to realize that it was his phone, sitting on the bedside table. Blinking, he made a grab for it with his good hand, while trying to open the drawer with the other.

He didn't get a chance to do either as a heavy hand yanked him back and snatched the phone from his hand. "No," Reid gasped as the knife was again ripped from his arm and he was thrown onto the bed.

He barely had time to react as the man climbed onto the bed and straddled him, plunging the knife into his lower abdomen. He let out a scream that tore his throat raw and tried to shove the heavier man off of him with his good arm.

He heard a pained grunt and saw, with bleary vision, Morgan stumble into the room. "Get off him!" he growled, taking hold on the man's arm and trying to drag him away from Reid. It was useless. The man swung his free arm around and hit Morgan in the face, knocking him back into the wall. Even with blurry vision Reid could tell Morgan would be unconscious soon and wasn't too surprised when he saw his friend fall in a heap on the floor.

He groaned again, too weak to scream, as the knife was pulled back out of him. How could no one hear them? He wondered. Surely someone had to have heard him scream?

* * *

Melissa looked up, startled, and dropped the dish she'd been washing when she heard the scream. "Jon!" she called to her husband in the other room. "Did you hear that?"

Jon came into the kitchen immediately, "Yeah," he looked worried, glancing out the window. "What was it?"

"I don't know…" she trailed off, following her husband's stare. "But - but I think it came from Derek and Spencer's apartment…"

Jon glanced at his wife then, remembering all the murders that had been happening lately. But Spencer and Derek couldn't be in danger, could they? He'd heard a scream, he didn't know where it came from, but Melissa had to think it came from their apartment because of the murders. Who would want to hurt two such friendly men?

He bit his lip, "Are you sure?" he asked.

Melissa nodded, her face ashen, "I'm positive, Jon. What if something happens? We should call the police… they said on the news they have the FBI here now. If something's wrong, they'll stop it."

Jon nodded slowly, and grabbed the phone, dialing 911.

* * *

Prentiss frowned down at the cell phone in her hands. "They're not answering." she said worriedly. "I tried both of then twice."

"Maybe they just went to bed early," JJ suggested, not wanting to believe that something could happen to them.

"Maybe," Prentiss said, "But they'd probably want to know if we got the unsub or not."

JJ nodded slowly, "I'll call Garcia and get her to trace their phones, see if they're still at the apartment." she said, pulling out her own cell phone.

"I'll call Hotch," Prentiss said, dialing the number as she spoke.

* * *

Hotch glanced at his phone, frowning. "Prentiss?" he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, Reid and Morgan aren't answering their cells." she said worriedly. "JJ called Garcia to get a trace - hold on," after a brief pause, she started talking again. "Their phones are still at the apartment." she said.

Detective Frost ran up, looking pale. "Agent Hotchner," he said, his eyes wide.

"Hold on a second Prentiss," Hotch said, pulling the phone away from his ear, "What is it?" he asked.

"A call just came in reporting screams from an apartment across town." When the detective said the address, Hotch felt the blood drain from his face. Reid and Morgan… "Get officers there now." he ordered, pulling the phone back to his ear.

"Prentiss, you, Rossi and JJ get over the Reid and Morgan's apartment. Now. Someone just reported hearing screams inside."


	9. Saved

**A/N: So close to the end... it almost makes me sad... thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented! :)**

**WARNING: not too much violence... just justice. I kinda figured it would happen... some mild language...**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :) :)**

Ch. 9: Saved

Morgan uttered a low moan and slowly brought his hand to his head. Pushing himself back into a sitting position, he blinked and saw Reid lying on the bed above him, bloody. His eyes were closed. _Oh God…_ The unsub was still straddling him, a bloody knife stabbing into his stomach.

Morgan glanced toward the bedside table, where their guns were. After another wary look toward the unsub, he crawled his way toward the table and somehow managed to yank the drawer out, the guns falling to the floor.

He clicked the safety off of his own gun and held in bruised hands. The unsub looked toward him when the drawer fell and his eyes widened. He lunged at him with the knife, fire burning in his eyes. Morgan held the gun in unwavering hands and pulled the trigger, praying he hit the man.

* * *

Prentiss, Rossi and JJ arrived moments before Hotch and Detective Frost. They were only feet from the door when they heard the gunshot. Each of them broke into a run, panic and fear lighting their eyes. The door was unlocked…

JJ closed her eyes when they saw blood on the couch and floor in the living room, and a thin trail of it led into the bedroom. "This way," Hotch said quietly, holding his gun out in front of him. They could hear harsh breathing coming from the room.

The first thing they saw was Reid, lying bloody on the bed. "Oh my God," JJ gasped and ran to their young friend, nearly tripping over a prone body in the floor. Morgan sat with his head against the wall, holding a gun in his limp hands, breathing harshly.

"What happened?" Hotch asked, holstering his gun.

"We were watching TV, the guy must've picked the lock. Next thing I know… bastard's got a knife to Reid's throat and says if I move he'll kill him. Then he - he stabbed Reid in the arm and I attacked him… everything get's kind of blurry after that." Morgan answered, his voice strained. There was blood dripping down his chin.

"Call an ambulance," Hotch ordered the shocked detective. He looked to JJ then, hopefully. "Is he -?"

"He's got a pulse." JJ said, holding onto Reid's limp hand. "But he isn't breathing well… and God, Hotch, he's lost so much blood…" she looked back down at her friend. "He's going to make it, right?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Prentiss went over and put a hand on JJ's shoulder, "Damn right," she said. "You know we're not gonna let our boy genius die on us."

JJ smiled, "He looks so young, you know. Like a kid."

Prentiss laughed and nodded, "Yeah, he does." she agreed.

"Paramedics are on their way," Hotch said after a moment. He knelt next to the unsub's body, feeling for a pulse. "He's gone," he said after a moment.

"Good riddance," JJ said bitterly, glaring down at the man's body. Rossi smiled slightly, and looked to Morgan.

"You shot him?" he asked.

"He was stabbing Reid," Morgan said after a moment. "I had to do something."

* * *

"The unsub's name was Terrance Ryan," Rossi said, hanging up the phone. They were in the waiting room of the hospital. It had been several hours since they'd arrived. JJ had called Garcia, who had been frantic with worry and demanded that they never, ever wait so long to call her about something like that again. Reid was in surgery the last they heard and Morgan was being examined.

"Damn it," Prentiss muttered after another few minutes of silence, "When are they going to talk to us?"

Almost as if on cue a doctor walked through the door, looked toward the small group and asked, "Derek Morgan?"

Hotch was immediately up, "Yes?" he asked.

"He's got a mild concussion, bruising to his chest and abdomen, two broken ribs and a busted lip. A tooth was knocked out, I'm assuming when he was kicked in the head, but in a few days he should be fine."

Hotch nodded, "Do you know anything about the man he was brought in with? Spencer Reid?"

The doctor nodded slowly, "I know he was stabbed several times and was rushed to surgery immediately after he arrived, but you're going to have to talk to his doctor." he said. "He should be out soon though,"

Hotch sighed and nodded, "Thank you." he said. "Can we see Morgan?"

"We've got him on pain relievers, but he's conscious." the doctor nodded. "No more than two at a time though. He needs to rest."

* * *

Hotch and Rossi were the first to visit Morgan. He was leaning against a pile of pillows, looking very agitated. "Where's Reid?" he demanded as soon as they entered.

"Still in surgery apparently," Rossi said, taking one of the seats next to the bed. Hotch took the other.

"You feeling alright?" Hotch asked.

"I'm fine, Hotch. Just a few bruises and a couple of broken ribs. Have you heard anything about Reid yet?" Morgan demanded.

"Nothing yet. He was stabbed several times, lost a lot of blood and was rushed into surgery. That's the last we heard." Rossi told him.

Morgan sighed and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. The pain medications had started to kick in a little while ago, so he wasn't in too much pain, but he hated hospitals and feeling helpless… Reid was hurt, and he was just lying in a hospital bed doing nothing.

"You'll let me know as soon as you hear anything, right?" he asked.

Hotch nodded, "Of course. Right now, we need you to walk us through exactly what happened, if you're up to it."

Morgan bit his lip and took a deep breath, his broken ribs straining in his chest. "Yeah… ok." He began relaying everything that had happened in the apartment from the time the unsub - Terrance Ryan - had entered the apartment to when the rest of the team had shown up.

There were bits and pieces of it that he couldn't remember very clearly, like how he'd managed to get the gun from the drawer, or how Reid had gotten into the bedroom in the first place, but for the most part, everything was almost too clear. He had the disturbing feeling that he would remember this night for a long time to come. During his story, in the back of his mind, he could only help but wonder if Reid would be there to remember it with him.


	10. Recovery

**A/N: Almost to the end! Yay! and yet... I'm sad... thanks to all the people who reviewed and favorited this! :) :)**

**WARNING: No more violence, just touchy-feely sadness... Hotch is blaming himself, I don't even know why... but the boys are okay... right? JK... of course they're ok...**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Ch. 10: Recovery

It seemed like it was several more hours before a very tired looking doctor entered the waiting room and asked, "Spencer Reid?"

They were all standing, surrounding the bedraggled man immediately. "Yes," Hotch said, looking worriedly at the older man.

"He just came out of surgery," the doctor began. "Everything went well, but there was massive internal bleeding, several torn muscles, a gash on his intestine, and severe blood loss. He should make a full recovery, though," he added quickly, seeing the look on their faces, "Despite severe muscle damage to his left shoulder, he should be able to regain normal ability and control within a couple of months."

They all let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Reid was okay. Morgan was alright… the unsub was dead and their family was still intact. Smiles etched themselves across the team's haggard faces.

"So he's alright?" JJ asked, hope glistening in her eyes.

"Yes. He's sedated right now, but in a few minutes I'll allow you to see him. One at a time, though." He said, a gentle smile on his face.

* * *

JJ entered Reid's room cautiously, knowing the others were all right outside. Rossi had went in first, then Prentiss. Now, JJ sat down next to her unconscious friend and took his hand, holding it tightly as if to make sure it was really there.

"You scared us, Spence, you know that?" she whispered. "And I know we've all told you before to never let something like this happen again, so why does it keep happening? What's Henry gonna think if his godfather keeps getting himself put in the hospital, huh? You really want him to think that's normal?" she laughed then and pulled the chair closer, gently pushing his hair behind his ears.

"God, you look like a kid." she said after a minute. "A lost, hurt little kid." she shook her head, tears threatening to overwhelm her eyes. "I think I forget sometimes that you're only twenty-nine. Or are you thirty yet? I can't even remember…" she sighed. "Morgan's ready to burst a blood vessel worrying about you. And Garcia almost had a heart attack. Do us a favor, Reid, and next time there's a guy with a knife anywhere near you, run, okay?"

She bit her lip and leaned forward, kissing him gently on the forehead before standing and scrubbing tears from her eyes. It was Hotch's turn.

* * *

Hotch watched as JJ walked out of the room. He hadn't felt so sick with worry since he'd heard the gunshots over the phone that had killed his ex-wife… "How is he?" he asked, glancing at the younger blond woman.

"Still sleeping," she said. He could see the tears in his eyes. "I hate seeing him like this."

"We all do," Hotch said, slowly making his way to the door. He couldn't help but feel the guilt that had begun to press itself down on him. It was his fault Reid and Morgan had been hurt. If he hadn't been so worried about their earlier suspect… he knew it was completely illogical to blame himself, but he was the Unit Chief and it was his job to make sure that his agents were alright and he hadn't done that.

He took JJ's abandoned seat next to the bed and looked at the still body of the young man. Except for the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest, it was difficult to tell if Reid was even alive. There were bandages wrapped tightly around his left arm, and sling to hold it place.

Sighing he leaned forward and put his head in his hand, "This is the fourth time this year you've been in the hospital Reid." he said slowly… "Am I going to have to take you out of the field permanently?" He smiled, something very rare, and looked away again. He couldn't make himself look at Reid, not knowing that he should've been able to prevent him from being hurt.

"I am so sorry." he said after a moment, emotion he normally help back seeping into his voice. "I - I should've done something. Anything, I don't know what. But it's my job to keep you safe and I clearly didn't do that. I'm sorry." he repeated.

"It's not your fault, Hotch." a weak voice caused Hotch to look up. Reid was looking at him with bleary eyes. "It's not your fault." he repeated.

Hotch smiled, "Maybe not, but I still feel guilty."

Reid smiled too, "Didn't know you could smile, Hotch." he said slowly. "But feeling guilty is completely irrational. You weren't even there when Morgan and I were attacked - wait, where's Morgan?" he asked, concern lighting his wide brown eyes.

"Somewhere down the hall, worrying about you." Hotch said. "He's fine. You on the other hand, will have to go through physical therapy and spend a little while in the hospital, not to mention the medical leave."

Reid groaned, his head falling back against the pillows, "Medical leave?" he muttered.

"Yeah, at least a month." Hotch said. "And I'd better let your doctor know your awake."

Reid sighed and nodded, "Alright… but wait," he said quickly, after Hotch stood to leave, "What about the unsub?"

"He's dead." Hotch said. "Morgan shot him."

Reid blinked, a frown settling over his face. He felt strangely unremorseful about the man's death. He'd killed twice before, Philip Dowd and Tobias Hankle, and he'd actually felt bad (eventually) for taking each of their lives, despite the fact that both had pretty much tried to kill him. But news of this unsub's death was met with an emotion very near happiness. He wasn't sure if it was only temporary, but he was sure that for the moment, he did not feel bad that his attacker had died.


	11. Roomies

**A/N: Gosh, you peoples makes me smile :) Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and commented :) I loves you all! :) This is the very last chapter, it makes me sad. Well, techincally, it's the last chapter. There will be an epilogue though, so it's not really the end yet... still feel kinda sad that it's over though...**

**WARNING: ... I got nothing... seriously, no one's hurt, I don't think there's any bad language... just Morgan and Reid being all cute :)**

**PLEEEEEEEEEZ REVIEW!**

Ch. 11: Roomies

Morgan sighed as Garcia fidgeted around him, "You're sure you're alright?" she asked again, frowning at him.

"Garcia, I'm fine. I've been in this damn room for two days now, and I'm going insane. The doctor said I could leave, so I'm leaving."

The blonde technical analyst frowned, "Doctors don't know everything," she said. "You were nearly beaten to death -"

"Penelope," Morgan interrupted her, "I am fine. I'm more worried about Reid. Unlike the rest of you, I haven't gotten to see him yet. And he was the one who almost died."

She sighed, "Yes, he did. But he isn't being released from the hospital yet, now is he?"

"He will be tomorrow or the day after," Morgan pointed out. "Now stop worrying, Baby Girl. I'm alright… a little sore, but I've been worse."

Garcia's frown loosened up slightly and she brushed invisible dust from Morgan's tee-shirt. "Fine," she said. "Just don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me? I don't want to lose my beautiful chocolate god."

Morgan laughed, shaking his head and heading out of the room. Garcia would've followed him down the hall to Reid's room, but she had the feeling they would want privacy. Besides, Reid had had alone time with every member of the team in the past couple of days but Morgan and Morgan was the only person he seemed too concerned about.

* * *

Reid's fingers tapped against the IV in his arm anxiously. The doctor had put him on morphine, and even though it was a very small dosage, and morphine was nowhere near as powerful as dilaudid, he was nervous about what the drug could do to him…

"I'm pretty sure the nurses wouldn't be too happy with you if you pulled that out, Pretty Boy," Morgan teased from the door.

Reid looked up, smiling. "Morgan! You're alive!"

Morgan laughed, shaking his head. "Of course I am kid, I wasn't the one who was stabbed seventeen times. Besides, didn't the team tell you I was okay?"

Reid frowned, looking down at the sling on his arm, "I guess I didn't want to believe them until I knew for sure… I mean, the last time I saw you, you were unconscious and bloody on the floor."

"Yeah, and the last time I saw you, you were lying on a bed with knife sticking out of your gut and psycho sitting on top of you." Morgan pointed out, taking the seat next to his bed. "How's your arm doing?"

"Not so bad," Reid said, glancing at the sling again. "They've got me on morphine though so I couldn't really tell you…"

Morgan frowned, seeing a strange look flicker across Reid's face. "Reid what's wrong?" he asked, worried.

Reid sighed and looked back at the IV. "It's just… the morphine… I haven't had any kind of narcotic since…" he trailed off, looking away from Morgan.

Morgan sighed, "C'mon, kid, you really think we'd let you go down that road again? Trust me, you're gonna be fine. Hotch said it was a minimal amount. They wouldn't have insisted on it if it weren't for the muscle damage and surgery. You'd be pretty uncomfortable right now if you didn't have that IV in you."

"Yeah…" Reid agreed, "But I also wouldn't run the risk of becoming … dependant on a narcotic pain killer either." he pointed out.

"I told you, Reid, it's not gonna happen. The team won't let it happen… _I _won't let it happen, alright?"

Reid sighed, nodding slowly. "I have to go to physical therapy for my arm." he said, a sour look on his face. "It was bad enough with my knee…"

Morgan grinned, "Ah, c'mon, kid, you do want to be able to use your arm again, don't you?"

"I guess," Reid said, looking back at the sling again. He hated the way the stupid thing felt against his shoulder.

"Hotch said you're gonna be out of work for a while," Morgan said slowly.

"So?" Reid said hesitantly.

"So, I've got a week off… and you're gonna need help getting around your apartment…" Morgan continued, a devious smile on his face.

"And?" Reid narrowed his eyes.

"And, Hotch ordered me to stay with you to make things a little easier on you." Morgan finished, eyes twinkling brightly.

Reid groaned, "Are you serious?" he muttered. "I have to put up with you for an entire week?"

Morgan chuckled, "Yep. Just think, a week of me in your apartment… and you're cripple."

Reid moaned, his head falling back against the pillows. "Great." he muttered.

* * *

Reid sighed, sitting down on his couch carefully so he didn't aggravate his wounds. "Morgan?" he called, "Where'd you go?"

"I'm in the kitchen," Morgan's voice answered him. He came walking into the living room holding a bottle of water, "Don't you have any beer, kid?" he demanded, unscrewing the cap on the bottle and taking a long swallow.

"No… I don't really drink." Reid answered, staring at Morgan with a frown. "And you're supposed to be here to help me, not to eat all my food and drink all my drink."

"I gotta eat something, kid." Morgan said, flopping down on the couch next to him, ruffling his hair.

Reid scowled and ran his uninjured hand through his hair to flatten it back out. He reached for the remote and turned the TV on, a documentary came on and he settled back. Morgan frowned, muttering something under his breath about boring TV shows and geeks.

Reaching over Reid he snatched the remote from him and turned the channel. The Simpsons was on. Reid groaned this time, and tried to grab the remote from him, "Morgan, give it back." he demanded. "It's my house."

"It's your house, that I'm staying in to help you." Morgan said, holding the remote far out of Reid's reach.

"Well I didn't ask you to stay." Reid snapped, trying to lunge at Morgan, uselessly. He winced as pain shot through his abdomen. "So give me the remote and leave."

Morgan shook his head, standing and moving to the chair. "I don't think so, kid. Orders are orders. And this time, you can't attack me, cripple."

Reid glared at him. "C'mon, this is … this is torture!" he muttered. "This show has been on for years, I bet you've seen every episode of it, why do you need to watch it now?" he demanded.

"I don't need to watch it. I'm sure I can find something else," Morgan said, flipping through the channels until he found that something else - there was a Godfather movie marathon on.

Reid groaned on the couch, his head falling back to glare at the ceiling.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy, you can't possibly tell me you don't like The Godfather?" Morgan demanded, looking angry. "It's a classic."

"It's annoying, overly dramatic and stereotypical." Reid retorted.

Morgan sighed, "Get used to it. We're gonna watch every one of them today."

Reid groaned again, glaring at his friend. A week of this? He'd rather be stabbed.


	12. Adorable

**A/N: I thought I'd end this story on a lighter, happier note, since, you know, it started out without all the scary violence and pain... Thanks for all the reviews! :) :)**

**WARNING: Seriously? There isn't a warning... I'm just bored... Oh, wait! There is something... Reid being his adorable, confused self! :) That's why I lovez him!**

**PLEEEEEEEEEZZZZ REVIEW! :) :) :) :) :) :) (are the smilie faces working, cuz I'm getting tired of typing them...) 8) WOOHOO! BOREDOM!**

Epilogue: Adorable

TWO MONTHS LATER

Reid sighed contentedly as he sank down into his chair at his desk and began to do paper work. He had gotten to work early, eager to be back again after two long months of medical leave. He had nearly been ready to gouge his eyes out with boredom.

"Hey, look who's finally back," Prentiss grinned, "How's the shoulder?"

"Still a little sore," Reid said, "But I've almost got a full range of motion back already. My physical therapist says I'm progressing well. It still throbs sometimes though."

"I'll bet. I can't imagine being stabbed in the shoulder…" she shuddered, and smiled, "But it's good to see you back. You have no idea how annoying Morgan can be when he doesn't have you to pick on." she grinned.

Reid rolled his eyes, "No, of course I don't. I only spent three days undercover with him and he stayed at my house for a week after I got out of the hospital, but I don't know how annoying he is."

"Oh, sarcasm from genius doctor Reid," Prentiss teased, "Never thought I'd see the day."

Garcia spotted Reid and immediately rushed over, hugging him. "My precious baby!" she grinned, then frowned, "Why didn't you come straight to my office when you got here? You know I have gifts."

Reid blinked, "Uh… um, I didn't even think about it." he said slowly.

Garcia huffed, "Some genius," she muttered. "After all the times you've been injured, I've always given you _something _and you don't even think about coming by my office?" she demanded.

"You didn't give me anything when I was shot in the leg," Reid pointed out, smiling. "You wouldn't even let me have one of the cookies you made for Hotch."

Garcia rolled her eyes, "That was different. And I did give you candy, if you remember, Mr. _I-have-an-eidetic-memory_." she snapped.

Reid sighed, "I'm sorry, Garcia. I just… wanted to get back to work."

"Fair enough," She nodded, then with a flourish she handed him a small tin of cookies, "And if you don't eat every single on of them before today's over, I'll feel extremely hurt." she said, smiling. "And don't ever, ever get yourself hurt again. What am I saying? How many times have I told you not to do that? And yet, here you sit." she shook her head disapprovingly. "We're gonna have to get you some kind of protecting, Junior G-man."

Reid sighed, "I can take care of myself, Garcia."

"Obviously," She said, nodding her head toward his shoulder. She gave him another quick hug before hurrying back to her office.

Morgan was late that morning, yawning as he practically fell into his seat. "Hey, Pretty Boy, look who finally came back."

Reid frowned at him, "You say that I left on purpose."

"I don't know…" Morgan grinned, "You do have a bad habit of getting hurt and being on medical leave. Maybe you're just doing it so you can get out of working."

"Trust me Morgan, I'd rather be at work than at home." Reid said, not even looking up from his paper work.

"Which is why you don't have a girlfriend," Morgan teased.

"What's your excuse, Morgan?" Prentiss asked, smiling at her co-worker teasingly.

"I haven't found the right woman yet," he said, grinning.

"No, you've found several. All of them, presumably, one night stands," Prentiss said.

"That is not true," Morgan said. "Just because I'm not usually with a girl for very long doesn't mean I'm not actually looking for a stable relationship."

"Face it, Derek Morgan, you are a player." Prentiss teased, opening up another file on her desk.

Morgan frowned, and looked to Reid, "C'mon, back me up man,"

Reid just shrugged and kept his attention on the paper work, "Sorry, you're on your own."

Morgan scowled, "Alright, fine, I see how it is. You remember that next time you want advice about women, kid."

"Ah, come on, Morgan, Reid doesn't need advice about women." Prentiss said. "He's adorable."

Reid blinked and looked up at her, "What?" he asked. "You make me sound like a kitten."

Prentiss's eyes lit up, "No, you're not a kitten, Reid." she assured him. "More like a puppy. An adorable, lost little puppy."

Reid frowned at her, "I don't look anything like a puppy." he said stubbornly.

"Have you seen your eyes?" she asked.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" he demanded, looking completely confused.

"Nothing's wrong with them," Prentiss said, "They just big and honest and wide, and a very pretty shade of brown." She looked up and called JJ over, "Hey, JJ help me out." she said as the blond woman approached. "Don't Reid's eyes remind you of a puppy?"

"Definitely," JJ said.

Reid sighed, "I give up," he muttered, turning his attention back to his paper work.

"Don't worry kid, they confuse me too," Morgan said, looking at Prentiss and JJ like they were some alien species before turning his attention back to his own paper work. The two women just laughed and continued talking about Reid's puppy dog eyes.


End file.
